Who Knew
by Sara
Summary: Dean: If he's your boyfriend then why are you here with me? JA and JP
1. Chapter 1

**Timeline**: Takes place a few weeks after D3 it's homecoming week. All of the ducks are now attending Eden Hall and Julie and Adam are a couple.

**Who Knew**

"Guess who?" Julie bounded up behind Adam and clasped her hands over his eyes.

"Mom?" He said hopefully.

Julie's hands dropped to her sides as she rolled her eyes. "Oh, you're so romantic." They had started dating a few days after the win against the varsity team. The whole Scooter thing fizzled out right away and Julie found herself spending more and more time with her team-mate. Eventually they both found themselves in a comfortable relationship. Both came from well-to-do families who were overjoyed at the alliance between the two teenagers.

"Just kidding" He said standing up and giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "I thought you were going to study with Connie til five?"

"She and Guy are celebrating their anniversary tonight, so we cut the study cession short so she could get ready."

"So I guess you're all mine for the rest of the day." He said wrapping his arms around her.

"That I am."

"Well we have to go down to the auto-shop. Portman said he'd look at my car for me. But after that we can do whatever you want." He placed a kiss on her forehead at the end of his sentence.

* * *

"Looks like your transmission went." Portman said wiping his hands off on a rag. The only thing that kept him going during the school year was working in the auto-shop on campus. Most of the preppy students had no interest in mechanics so Dean pretty much had the entire dwelling to himself.

"That would probably explain that weird rubbing noise we kept hearing before it finally broke down." Julie said from her perch on a stack of tires.

"How much would it cost to fix?" Adam said raising a brow.

"Probably close to two grand." Dean knew that contrary to belief, Adam did not spend his money recklessly just because he came from a wealthy family.

"I don't have that kinda cash on me." Adam said thumbing through his wallet. "I'll have to have my dad wire some."

"Dude, if you pay for parts, I'll do the labor for free." Dean said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, it'll give me something to do this weekend. Keep me outta trouble."

"Awesome, thanks Portman." Adam turned to Julie, "I'm gonna run to the ATM and get some cash. Charlie said he could give me a lift in his mom's car if I needed."

"I'll think I'll wait here."

"Okay, I'll be back around two." He said giving her a quick peck on the lips before leaving.

"So why didn't you go with him?" Portman said turning to Julie.

"Charlie's carting around half of them team in his mom's car this weekend, I'm really not in the mood to be trapped in a station wagon with six teenage boys."

"And here I thought it was because you wanted to spend some quality time with me." He said trying to sound hurt.

"Nah, I'm not trying to get anyone's sloppy seconds." He tossed his rag at her playfully. He had just arrived Eden Hall a few weeks ago, so he wasn't used to Julie's newfound sense of humor. The summer before the school year had definitely brought out some nice changes in the goalie and Dean had noticed.

"Make yourself useful Princess, hand me that wrench."

* * *

Julie had stayed in the shop with Dean until Adam had come back and collected her. They left together, arm-in-arm, leaving Dean alone to sort his thoughts. He decided he liked the change in her personality. She didn't resemble the distant, prissy girl he remembered meeting months ago during the Good Will Games. Dean was so surprised that his thoughts were still focused on Julie, that he had to consult another source. "What do you think of the Cat Lady?" Dean said turning to Fulton.

"I don't." Fulton said as he tossed a ball up and caught it.

"No I mean, do you think she's cute?" Dean said seriously.

Fulton stop throwing the object, "Oh no."

"What?"

"Listen, this is Julie. She's not another one of your potential conquests."

"I know, I know. But seriously. She's got a great rack, nice little ass, plus she's a pretty awesome chick."

"Look man, Julie's not the kinda girl you mess around with; she's the type you bring home to meet your parents."

"Yeah, but we were alone in the shop today and-"

"Do everyone a favor, leave Julie alone. Besides, tonight so many girls will be drunk and looking to hookup with a jock." Fulton was referring to the annual homecoming parties that students threw in their dorm-rooms to ring in the new school year.

Dean knew that in his short time at Eden he had developed a reputation for being a womanizer. Although there was little truth to any of the rumors, he decided not to pursue the subject any further.


	2. Chapter 2

**Timeline**: Takes place a few weeks after D3 it's homecoming week. All of the ducks are now attending Eden Hall and Julie and Adam are a couple.

**Author's Note**: Most of my fics revolve around the main characters thoughts so if you're not a fan of Dean, Julie, or Adam this probably isn't for you.

**Who Knew**

**Julie's Dorm**

"Hey Jules." Connie had come bounding through the door after seeing the light on. It was their usual custom to discuss their dates since they were both dating team-mates.

"How was the date?" Julie said looking up from her book. She was laying on her stomach in the middle of one of her favorite novels.

"Sooooo romantic! I think I'm in love!" Connie said twirling around the room before landing on the bed next to her. "I didn't think you'd still be up."

"I'm waiting for my last load of clothes to dry." She set her book down and turned her attention to her lovestruck friend. "So, details?"

"Oh my gosh! We had dinner at this little French restaurant, saw a movie, not that we actually watched it, and then we took a stroll around the lake. It was perfect." She said dreamily. "What were doing laundry all night for? I thought you and Banksi were gonna spend some time together."

"We were, but then he found out it would cost a fortune to fix his car. So Charlie had to drive him to the ATM to get cash while I waited back at the shop with Portman. After that we went to the cafeteria and grabbed a quick bite. By then the evening was over so we just called it a night and I started my laundry."

"Exciting."

"Tell me about it." Julie said rolling her eyes and picking her book back up.

"So you hung out with Portman?" Connie pressed taking her shoes off next to the bed.

"For an hour or so." She said absentmindedly.

"What's he like?" Connie said leaning closer.

"Um, like he's been the entire time we've known him." She said looking up.

"Did he hit on you?"

"No, why would he do that?"

Connie shrugged. "Rumor has it he's quite the charmer."

"Nope, there wasn't anything particularly charming about him. We just hung out for a while."

"Are you going home for fall recess?" She said changing the subject instead of continuing to grill her friend. She learned that when Julie had made up her mind about something she wouldn't budge.

"Nah, it's not long enough. It would be pointless to go back to Maine for three days."

"What about your boy?"

"Adam mentioned something about it. I assume all you Minnesota kids will be going home while all us 'strays' are stuck here for the long weekend." It was a normal custom for them to all plan a big outing while the rest of the team went home to visit with their families.

"What will you do without me?"

"I'm sure I'll manage."

* * *

"So Friday night, movies?" Ken said turning to his team-mates at the breakfast table.

"I say we go line-dancing!" Dwayne piped in.

"You would." Russ interjected.

"I'm not really in the mood to go out." Julie stated quietly.

"Jules, you just wanna wait by the phone for lover boy to call." Luis said before making a bunch of fake kissing noises. Adam's face was flushed with embarrassment while Julie rolled her eyes. Sometimes she hated being one of the few girls on the hockey team.

"At least she sticks to one person!" Connie said kicking him underneath the table.

"Hey Portman." Julie had tuned out of the argument going on between Connie, Guy and Luis to hear what was going on at the other end of the table. A blonde varsity cheerleader had stopped at the end of the table where the bash brothers were seated. "I heard your room-mate won't be around this weekend, mind if I stop by?" Julie knew where this conversation was going and turned her attention back to the rest of the team.

She thought it was funny that he caught her attention. She had never really considered him extremely 'good-looking' or 'handsome' until Connie had brought it up. In fact, he never really showed up on her radar, unless you count that time when he called her 'sweetie' and threw a hockeystick in her face. But this morning she looked at him in a new light. She could see how so may think he was attractive. He did have that tall, dark, brooding thing going for him.

She wasn't the only one who noticed, the group of blonde cheerleaders that greeted him as they passed by had too.

"You know, I think there's still some tickets left for the Crowes concert. My dad might be able to get you guys a deal, if you want." Adam offered interuppting Julie's thoughts.

"The crowes?" Russ said with a blank look.

"The Black Crowes." Dwayne answered and received a few questioning stares. "They play some of their songs on the country stations." He answered when he saw the looks of surprise on their faces.

"I have their newest album, it's amazing!" Julie said giving Adam's hand a tight squeeze.

"Yeah, that'd be cool." Ken said.

"Well, if it's not too expensive, I'm down." Russ said decidedly

"I hate to break up this little group but I have to finish packing." Goldberg said standing up with his tray.

"Yeah, me too." Charlie said following him.

"Are you all packed up?" Julie said turning to Adam.

"Not quite, I don't have any room in my bag for these." Sure enough, he pulled out six concert tickets from his back pocket.

Julie smiled and threw her arms around his neck. "I couldn't ask for a better boyfriend."

"Looks like we're going to a concert for free!" Portman said nudging Ken, almost sending him flying off the bench.


	3. Chapter 3

**Timeline**: Takes place a few weeks after D3 it's homecoming week. All of the ducks are now attending Eden Hall and Julie and Adam are a couple.

**Author's Note**: Most of my fics revolve around the main characters thoughts so if you're not a fan of Dean, Julie, or Adam this probably isn't for you.

**Who Knew**

* * *

**_I got my veins all tangled close to the jukebox bars you frequent, the safest place to hide  
a long night spent with your most obvious weakness, you start shaking at the thought  
you are everything I want, cause you are everything I'm not_** - Taking Back Sunday

* * *

"That was a pretty sweet surprise from Adam." Connie said as she finished putting her last article of clothing in her suitcase.

"Yeah it was, he's a pretty sweet guy." Julie said helping Connie lift her other bag off the bed.

"So you guys are getting serious now?"

"Kinda. We've never really talked about it, but I think we're both happy with the way things are going. I'm sure we'll talk about it after break, one of us will bring it up."

"So do you love him?" Connie asked turning to face her friend.

Julie paused for a minute before she answered. She had never considered it. Did she love him? After a few moments she rationalized that it couldn't possibly love, they had just become official a few weeks ago. "I think I **could** love him. He's a nice guy and I can definitely picture myself with him."

"But?"

"I just don't think we know each other well enough to say it's love."

"We you're parents are certainly hoping." Connie said smiling.

"Don't remind me. I think our moms have secretly planned a wedding." She said rolling her eyes.

"Wow, can you say 'pressure'."

Julie laughed in agreement. "But I guess it's a good thing. I'm glad we won't have to worry about impressing each others' family. His parents are so nice and welcomed me with open arms."

"I know what you mean. Guy and I have known each other so long that his parents already consider me family."

* * *

The commuter Ducks had left for the weekend, leaving the rest of the team to their own devices. With Connie gone Julie found their room unbearably quiet. With no homework to do and no one to talk to, she decided to wander to the boys' dorms and see what the others were doing. She passed by Dean's door where the same blonde cheerleader from breakfast was pounding on his door. She looked frustrated and stomped off after he failed to answer.

"No fair man, he's smaller and more limber than me!" Russ yelled to Dwayne and Luis. He was standing in the middle of the room while the other two stood off to the side.

"Russ, Kenny's clearly a better break dancer."

They were in the middle of one of their dumb competitions. And Julie usually ended up acting as the referee.

Right on cue Russ turned to Julie. "Jules!" He said taking notice of her entrance.

"I'm not getting involved." Julie said holding up her hands. She wasn't in the mood to mediate.

"Howdy Julie." Dwayne said politely.

"Hey Jules." Ken followed.

"Hey guys." She said looking around. She realized one team-mate was missing "Where's Portman?"

"Where he always is." Russ said rolling his eyes. The auto-shop was where he spent most of his free time. She had rarely seen him outside of practice and class.

"What are you up to?" Luis said sitting on the bed.

"Nothing. Just killing some time before Adam calls." She said leaning against the doorway.

"When you talk to him, thank him again for the tickets." Dwayne was always polite. Julie figured it was the whole Southern-gentleman-etiquette that made him so courteous.

"Yeah, tomorrow will definitely be more exciting." Russ said.

She nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'll tell him you guys said so. I'll see you later." Even though she was bored and she loved her team-mates, she had had her fill of obnoxious boys for the night.

Venturing out of the dorms and across campus, she found herself outside of the auto-shop. Julie turned the corner and saw Dean leaning over the hood of Adam's Range Rover. She knocked on the steel door to get his attention. He turned around and smiled once he realized who it was. "Hey Princess."

"Hey. Mind if I hang out here for a bit? I'm not in the mood to baby-sit the boys tonight." She was peering into the room waiting for his invite.

He shrugged. "Suit yourself."

* * *

Yes another short one. I was hoping to put out a longer chapter but it wasn't turning out the way I wanted. But, I didn't want to wait another week to put out more of the story, so this will have to do. **Next chapter will definitely have more JP & JA interaction!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Timeline**: Takes place a few weeks after D3 it's homecoming week. All of the ducks are now attending Eden Hall and Julie and Adam are a couple.

**Author's Note**: Most of my fics revolve around the main characters thoughts so if you're not a fan of Dean, Julie, or Adam this probably isn't for you.

**Who Knew**

* * *

**_And we lay, we lay together  
just not too close, too close  
(how close is close enough?)_**

* * *

"Thanks." She made her way over towards him. "What are you up to?" 

"Looking at your boyfriend's engine." He said coming to her side for some rest from the task at hand.

"It was really nice of you to offer to fix Adam's transmission."

"Yeah well, a normal garage would probably try and rip him off."

"Still, he really appreciates it."

"He's a good kid." Dean said trying to brush off the compliment she had offered. He wasn't used to getting genuine praise from girls unless it was about his hockey skills or his looks.

Julie nodded in agreement. "So are you." He looked surprised at her judgment. "Why do you let everyone think you're such a badass?"

He shrugged. "People just assume I am because of the way I look. And I guess I play into it because I'm just used to being labeled the bad kid."

"Makes sense." She said nodding. Even though she liked getting good grades and being studious, it wasn't always fun. A big part of that came from everyone's expectations. There was always so much pressure to live up to the perfect, put-together image. And she absolutely detested her pure, innocent reputation. Did people honestly think that she was such a prude and she wasn't interested in sex? She had come back this semester with a very attractive boyfriend, hoping to finally change her image.

"So, this looks like a fun project." She said sarcastically.

"I know, I love it." He said genuinely, smiling at the car in front of him.

"You really love working on cars, don't you?" She said looking sideways at him.

"Yeah, there's no place I'd rather be." She gave him her oh-come-on look. "It's like this: School, I don't understand. Girls, I don't understand. But cars...I get them." He said trying to explain his passion to Julie. She raised her brow in amusement. "Nevermind, I know it sounds stupid-"

"No it doesn't." She said realizing she had made him self-conscious. "Sounds like you've found your calling." She said reassuringly. She hoped he would continue to open up about himself.

"I could spend hours here." He said running his hands over the edge of the hood.

"Seems like you already do." He turned to her and raised brow. "I mean, I never see you on the weekends outside of practice and class."

"Sometimes I gotta get away."

"Well, while you were "getting away" I think you forgot you had a date. On my way to see the boys I saw some blonde banging on your door."

"Tracey." He mumbled and rolled his eyes.

She stifled a laugh. "Care to share?"

"There's nothing to tell. She's interested, I'm not." He said avoiding her gaze. "She invited herself over; I never said I would be around tonight."

"I see." She said doubtfully. She had heard rumors about Dean and this cheerleader for about a week, so she wasn't sure if she believed him.

"So, you and Cake-eater, huh?" He said uncomfortably, hoping to change the subject. He didn't like to talk about his love life with anyone except Fulton. His bestfriend was the only person who understood what Dean was really about.

"For a few weeks now."

"Yeah, that makes sense." He said nodding.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, I didn't mean to offend you. I meant that you guys seem really compatible."

"Oh...thanks." She said feeling bad for jumping on guard so quickly. She knew people thought that their parents had somehow set them up, or that they had some strange arranged marriage in the works. Julie wanted people to know that she truly cared about Adam and that money and family had nothing to do with it. "Sorry force of habit." She said sheepishly.

"No problem." He said shrugging. Julie realized that it hadn't bothered him. It seemed like nothing did. She wondered if he cared about anything, besides hockey and cars.

"Well, I should get going, Adam's supposed to call." She said standing up. "See you around."

"Later." He called over his shoulder.

* * *

She headed back to the dorms and sat at her desk. The phone rang and she grabbed it by the first ring. 

"Hello?"

"Hey Jules."

She smiled, "hey Adam."

"What's going on around there?"

"Nothing much. The boys are goofing off and I'm already bored."

"Sorry. Things aren't much better here. My folks asked about you though." This made Julie smile. "Charlie is trying to set something up so we can all hang out, but I'm not sure how that'll work out. I think we're all getting sick of our families already."

"That'll be nice if you can all see each other. Tell your parents I said 'hello'."

"I will." "Other than that, nothing's new?"

Julie twisted the phone cord around her finger during the awkward silence. She had waited all evening for him to call and now she couldn't think of anything to talk about. It was easier when he was there in person. She could usually talk to him about anything, but for some reason tonight she was finding it hard to think of something to say. "I miss you." She blurted out.

"I miss you too, sweet-pea." He said quietly.

"What am I gonna do without you for four days?" She moaned.

"The concert's tomorrow. Aside from that, you'll find something to occupy yourself with, you always do." He assured her.

"Yea, I guess you're right." Neither of them could come up with anything to say. "I'll let you go then, I should check on the others."

"Okay, I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay, bye Adam."

"Bye Jules."

She hung up and looked around her. She saw the stack of books on her desk and knew what Adam meant, '_you'll find something to occupy yourself with, you always do._' She wasn't in the mood to study or do homework and she secretly wondered what the others were doing.

* * *

"So boys, what are we watching tonight?" 

"Sorry Jules, all-night playstation2 tournament in Woo's room." Russ said walking past her.

Julie rolled her eyes, "you can't be serious."

"You're welcome to join, we could always use another player." Ken offered.

"Thanks, but I'll pass." This would be another heated competition that she didn't want to take part in. "What about your bash brother?"

Ken shrugged, "hot date probably."

"Are you sure you don't wanna join us?" Dwayne offered one last time.

"No, I have tons of homework to keep me occupied. But thanks." She said heading out the door. She went back to her room but still had no desire to pick up a book. She wasn't sure what to do with herself, but the phone interrupted her thoughts again.

"Hello?"

"Hey Jules."

"Hey Dean."

"So, movie night?" He asked.

"No, videogame tournament at Woo's. They're looking for more players if you're interested."

"No thanks." He said quickly.

"My thoughts exactly. Things can get ugly pretty quick." She said lying back on her bed. She could hear him chuckle lightly as they both remembered an incident where the team had to separate Russ and Ken.

"What about you?" He said getting serious.

"Me?"

"Yeah, are you up for a movie?"

"Yeah, but I figured you had plans."

"Nope, I'm wide open."

"Okay."

"Would you mind coming to our room? I already have two strikes against me. If I get caught in the girls' dorms again, I'm screwed."

Julie sighed, "Okay, Lover-Boy." She put on her pajamas and quietly made her way over to the boys' dorms. She had snuck over a few times to visit Adam so she knew all the tricks to use if a hall monitor happened to be patrolling. She knocked lightly on the Bash Brothers' door. "Do you like Adam Sandler?" She said handing him the VHS.

"I love that guy, he's hilarious!" Dean said ushering her into the room. She took a spot on Fulton's bed while Dean setup the small TV between the beds.

* * *

Julie opened her eyes slowly, not recognizing her surroundings. She looked around quickly and the remembered where she was. The television was still on and Dean was passed out in his own bed. They had both fallen asleep watching the movie last night. 

She got up to shut it off and Dean woke up in the process. He sat up looked around trying to figure out what Julie had just deduced. After realizing that everything was okay he spoke. "Hey."

"Hey." She answered making her way back over to the other bed.

"Looks, like we were both pretty tired." Even though nothing had happened, they both felt uneasy.

"Yeah. I'm gonna get back to my room. Might as well start the day." Julie said fixing the covers on Fulton's bed. Dean nodded silently.

Julie hoped she could get to her dorms without being seen by anyone, she wasn't in the mood for banter with the boys. "I'll see you later. We're leaving around six for the concert." She stuck her head slowly out the door to make sure no one was there. When she was certain that it was safe, she stepped out and quietly shut Dean's door behind her. She tip-toed a few meters and finally felt a bit at ease.

"So I see last night was very productive, Julie." The voice caused her to jump and turn around quickly. Russ, Luis and Ken were all standing in their doorway at the other side of the hall.

"Yeah, get a lot of studying done...anatomy, I take it?" Luis said raising a brow. He and Russ exchanged high-fives.

"Shut up guys. We fell asleep watching Happy Gilmore." She said walking away in her wrinkled pajamas and disheveled hair.

"Happy Portman is more like it." Luis whispered to Russ.

"Does Adam know about this?" Russ called out to Julie's back while Ken and Luis snickered. She knew they all teased her in good fun, no one expected her to trade in Adam Banks for Dean Portman.


	5. Chapter 5

Timeline: Takes place a few weeks after D3 it's homecoming week. All of the ducks are now attending Eden Hall and Julie and Adam are a couple. "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" is owned by The Ramones

**Who Knew**

**

* * *

**

_Hey little girl, I wanna be your boyfriend_

_Sweet little girl, I wanna be your boyfriend_

_Do you love me Babe? What do ya say?_

_Do you love me Babe? What can I say?_

_Because I wanna be your boyfriend  
_

* * *

Julie had made it back to her room without anymore obstacles. She grabbed a towel and headed towards the bathroom. After a quick shower she decided to call Adam instead of waiting around for him. His mother answered, and after chatting with Julie for a few minutes, she put Adam on the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Adam."

"Morning, Jules. How's it going?"

"Okay, how's everything there?"

"They could be better. My mom has a whole day of 'family time' planned."

"That doesn't sound so bad." Julie offered.

"It's torture. She'll take me shopping all day and pick out clothes for me. I feel like I'm still five years old."

"Awww, I bet you were adorable when you were five. I can just picture your mom dressing you in sweater-vests and little ties." Julie cooed.

"The shopping part isn't so bad, but I'll be missing out on the fun. Charlie and the guys are planning on skating around the city all day and I'll be stuck in the mall."

"I'm sorry. Maybe it won't be so bad, you could probably meet up with the guys later." She offered.

Adam knew she was trying to be sweet and sound positive to cheer him up. He appreciated that she listened to his rant. "Enough about me, what'd you do last night?"

"I ended up hanging out with Portman. He worked on the car all night and then we ended up watching a movie while the guys played videogames."

"What'd you watch?" He didn't really didn't seem to care that she had hung out with her team-mate alone.

"Happy Gilmore. We ended up falling asleep in his room during the movie. Of course the guys tried to give me a hard time this morning."

"You know they're just kidding. Besides, I think they're a little jealous because they're all single." Adam said sympathetically.

"You're probably right." She said smiling. She had known she had done nothing wrong and that Dean was just a platonic friend, but she wasn't sure how he was going to react. It was a relief that Adam was so level-headed and secure, he was just too mature to jump to conclusions.

"So, are you excited about the concert?" He asked trying to take her mind off the morning's events.

"Did I mention how amazing my boyfriend is?"

* * *

"Jules, your boyfriend's the best." Dean said as they piled back into his Camaro. He knew they were taking a chance since he only had a learner's permit, but none of them wanted to deal with the limited public transportation.

"He'll be happy to hear it." She said buckling her seatbelt in the back seat. Russ and Ken sat in the back with her but were less enthusiastic.

"Man, I'm so amped!" He said hitting the steering wheel.

"Me too. There's no way I can sleep!" Dwayne nodded in agreement from the passenger's seat.

"We should do something."

"Man, I'm tired. Will you guys drop me off before you go out?" Russ complained next to a sleeping Kenny.

"Yeah, looks like these two are beat." Julie said sympathetically.

"Fine, party-poopers." Dean conceded. "We should just get a pizza and hang out back at the dorms."

"We could go to my room, no room-mate and all." Julie suggested.

"Whaddya say, Tex?" Dean said turning Dwayne.

"I'm in."

They headed back to Eden Hall to drop off Russ and Ken. Julie decided to stay behind clean up her room while Dwayne and Dean drove to the nearest open pizzeria. The silence was a bit uncomfortable for Dean's liking so he decided to break the silence.

"So Tex," He stopped for a moment, "you don't mind that I call you that, right?"

"Not at all, I wear the moniker proudly." He said grinning.

Dean slapped him lightly on the shoulder. "I knew we wouldn't have any problems getting along. How do you like Eden?"

"It's alright, I guess. Things are different than they are back home, but in a good way."

He nodded, "I know what you mean. School sucks but its better than boot-camp. That's where I'll be heading if I don't make it through high-school here."

"That's rough."

"My old man is a military guy, so it's either shape up or ship out."

"I know where you're coming from. My parents are good southerners and are all about doing your patriotic duty. If I don't go to college I'll probably join the military."

"Wow, didn't know we had so much in common." He said turning into the parking-lot.

"Yeah, it's nice to have common ground."

"So what else do we talk about?" Dean asked as they climbed out.

"Sports or girls?"

"Well, you know I love the ladies." He said with a smirk.

"Ain't no secret there."

"The girls at Eden are decent, sluttier than I thought they would be."

"Yeah, some of them aren't too shy." Dwayne said in agreement.

"What do you think of our girls?"

"You mean like Connie and Julie?"

"Yeah."

"I really didn't get to know either of them during the Goodwill Games, so what I think about them is only from being around them for a few weeks."

"And?"

"They're both lovely ladies. Connie's very pretty and good Lord, she knows it. Julie, well, she don't she's beautiful."

Dean smiled, "I couldn't have put it better myself."

"Don't get me wrong though, I love them both as my team-mates, but not in that way." Dean nodded. "Besides, I can't picture myself with any of the Northern girls. Nope, it's those Southern belles that have my heart."

Dean laughed, "Well, those farmers' daughters are pretty cute."

* * *

Julie folded up the remainder of the clothes that she had strewn on her bed while deciding what to wear to the concert. Picking up hangers and carefully rearranging them in her closet, she did her best to make the room presentable.

The sound of her phone ringing broke her concentration. It was too late to be anyone but Adam, so she leaned over to pick it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, I was just wondering how the concert was?"

"Great, you're the best sweetie." She said folding the last pair of jeans. "The guys really appreciated it too."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it."

"How'd you make out today?" She asked sitting down at her desk with the phone.

"Shopping with mom was a nightmare." He said sighing. "But, I met up with the guys later and we had a good time."

"Good."

"Sooo, what are you up to now?"

"I think Dwayne and Portman are coming over for a bit. We'll probably eat and watch a movie."

"Sounds like fun. Tell them I said 'hey'."

"I will. I can't wait for you guys to come back, I miss you."

"I miss you too."

"I should get going, I can hear them storming down the hallway with the pizza."

"Okay, I'll call you tomorrow."

"Alright, bye."

"Bye."

* * *

"Bull shit!" Dean yelled.

"Are you cheating?" Julie said raising her brow as Dean successfully called Dwayne's bluff for the third time.

"Don't be a sore loser, Princess." He said as Dwayne collected the pile in the middle of the floor.

"You are awfully good at this game." Dwayne said suspiciously.

"Fine, redeal and I'll put on some new music." He said throwing his hand in the middle.

"So, what do ya'll wanna do tomorrow?"

"We could go to the rodeo nightclub in Cottage Grove?" Julie suggested. She and Connie had gone a few times with Dwayne and had a good time.

"Not really my thing." Dean said quickly.

"What if I told you there's tons of pretty blondes in daisy-dukes?"

"Does that include you?" He said flashing her a flirty smile.

"The girls are very friendly." Dwayne said before Julie could retort.

"Now, I've seen it all!" Dean declared from the desk.

"Huh?" Dwayne said as Julie went back to dealing out new hands.

"Babe, somehow I can't picture you as a Ramones fan." Dean said in disbelief as he thumbed through the crate of albums on the floor.

"They're classic." She said shrugging.

"Big Joey Ramone fan?" He guessed taking a record out of its sleeve.

She shook her head, "Johnny Ramone is my rock God."

"Favorite song?"

"Judy is a Punk. You?"

"Teenage Lobotomy."

"Where are you going?" Julie asked as Dwayne got up.

"Ya'll are speaking a different language, I'm hitting the hay." He said stretching; his southern drawl was noticeably slower.

"See ya tomorrow Tex." Dean called over his shoulder.

"Later, Dwayne." Julie called as he headed out of the room.

"So, does Cake-eater know how sweet his girlfriend is?"

"Is that a line?"

"Depends. Do you want it to be?"

Julie rolled her eyes, "You never give an inch, do you?"

"Nope." He said smiling.

"War?" she suggested.

"Why not." He slid closer to her on the floor as she dealt out two piles.

* * *

**3:24 A.M.**

"Adam's genuine. I know he really does care for me."

"And Scooter?"

"He had ulterior motives." She said plainly.

"Oh."

"It's not that I'm waiting for marriage or think that everyone should. I just...want it to mean something, ya know?"

"Ya, I get it. That's nice...to wait till you really love someone." Dean said softly. "Whoever he is, he'll appreciate it."

Julie blushed hotly. She never thought she would be sitting up at 3am telling Dean Portman about her personal life. It was weird how their conversations could be playful and then suddenly border serious.

"Did I say something wrong?" He said noticing her color.

"No, not at all. It's nice to not be mocked." She said flipping over another card.

"It's late. I should head back to my room." Julie nodded. He stood up and offered his hand to help her off the floor. As she stood up, his muscular frame towered over her small one. He leaned down and hugged her, she felt the warmth from his body for the first time. She wrapped her arms around his waist to reciprocate. They had never been in such close proximity to each other. It was nice, and there was nothing sexual about it. "This isn't weird, is it?" He asked still holding her in his arms.

She shook her head, "you give Fult your manly hug when you guys leave each other. We're friends, right?"

He nodded, "Yeah." It felt nice to be able to connect with a girl. He hugged her again and slowly let go. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night."

* * *

**Sorry, I know there wasn't much J/A in this one. There will definitely be more in the next chapter when the rest of the ducks come back. I haven't forgotten about any of the other stories I've started but this has been bugging me all weekend so I had to write it. **


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